Big Ten scolds PSU coach and fines school
Ferry remarked on officials after loss
The Big Ten Conference reprimanded interim Penn State men’s basketball coach Jim Ferry and fined the university $10,000 for comments Ferry made after a loss Sunday to Purdue.
Ferry, named interim coach last fall after Patrick Chambers resigned following an internal investigation into his conduct, was called out by the conference for his actions after the Nittany Lions lost to the Boilermakers, 80-72.
Referees issued a technical foul on Ferry in the second half. Afterward, he voiced concerns about the officiating being “a little uneven or inconsistent.”
“I wasn’t ranting or raving, I wasn’t cursing,” Ferry said after the loss.
The Big Ten said Ferry was reprimanded not for the technical foul but for his postgame comments. “The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship.”
More Penn State
Illini center Kofi Cockburn had 21 points and 12 rebounds as Illinois (10-5, 6-3 Big Ten) won over the Nittany Lions, 79-65, Tuesday night in Champaign. Penn State fell to 3-6, 0-5.
Connecticut
Olivia Nelson-Ododa led a balanced attack with 18 points and No. 3 Connecticut routed Butler, 103-35. The win was coach Geno Auriemma’s 1,099th at Connecticut, moving him past late Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, into second place on the all-time list.
Elsewhere
That much-anticipated opening Thursday of March Madness will belong to the play- in teams, part of a scrambled and modestly condensed schedule for the 2021 tournament released Tuesday. The coronavirus pandemic forced the NCAA to move the entire 67-game tournament to Indiana.
The so-called “First Four” — two games pitting the last four at-large teams in the field and another two featuring the lowest-rated conference champions — will be on March 18.
That day typically would have marked the start of play in the main bracket. Instead, the first two full days are now scheduled for March 19 and 20.